The Grave
The Grave is a warpstorm located in Subsector Tyranus that has persisted for thousands of years, where the barriers between the warp and realspace break down to the point of overlapping. Home to an unknown but large number of various renegade forces, the Grave hosts anything from cultists seeking their daemonic utopia to astartes who personally remember the Horus Heresy. It is arguably the greatest threat in Sector Deus. Entering & Leaving the Grave Like a colossal three-dimensional whirlpool in space, entering the Grave is simple but leaving is the challenge. Any voidcraft can enter the expanse by simply passing through the flickering, billowing edges and into the warp-tainted realm of daemon worlds and chaos lackeys. Without gellar fielding the ship will find itself at the mercy of daemonic forces immediately even if entering from realspace, and even the strongest fields cannot withstand more than a few months in the warpstorm before human crew cannot take any more and inevitably succumb to the whispers and nightmares that plague them, falling to chaos. Any who prove too resistant to the ever-heightening temptations of the warp will eventually be gifted with a personal daemonic visit. Conversely exiting the Grave is something of a challenge. The trans-dimensional pull of the warpstorm increases in magnitude the further from the centre one travels, and then ceases abruptly once the edge is passed. Therefore the only way to escape the warpstorm is through exits to the warpstorm where realspace maintains a stronger hold, forming conical 'tunnels' of realspace some way into the grave. This means escaping ships do not have to fight against the pull of the warpstorm as much in order to pass the edge and be free. Unfortunately for any would-be escapers, the Imperium has heavily fortified all the regions where these exits permanently persist. The fortress world of Malta lies within the largest stable exit (known as the Headstone), and the stations of the Shield Array guard the other four. These defences are incredibly effective, and no sizeable renegade force has ever successfully broken through them. This leaves one other option for leaving, which is to wait for a fleeting opportunity in the constantly fluctuating edges of the warpstorm where temporary tunnels can form at any location and allow a ship to escape. Fortunately these tunnels are always small and incredibly short-lived, prohibiting any sizeable vessels and fleets from navigating them. But this does not stop small raiding forces escaping with relative frequency. Even if chaos forces do manage to escape the grave their troubles do not stop then for the Imperial Navy heavily patrols the edges of the grave, hunting down would-be escapees or - failing that - reporting their presence sector-wide. Inside the Grave 'Known Worlds' The worlds inside the Grave are twisted realms infested by chaos energies, warped and changed to better suit the gods to which they are devoted. Only a few are known to the Imperium: *'Avignon' - Believed to be the most heavily populated world inside the Grave. Avignon is dominated by a vast chaos-worshipping civilisation of humans and xenos of various kinds, ruled by an Anticardinal of their heretical faith. It is the main homeworld of the Sworn Sons warband. *'Corozia Secundus' - A plague world of Nurgle. Corozia Secundus is an infested disease-ridden planet of noxious fumes and tainted life. It is inhabited by a large civilisation of diseased humans & xenos who worship the plague god. It is the main homeworld of the Ebon Host and the Pact of Corozia warbands. *'Astima Epsilon' - A pleasure world of Slaanesh. Astima Epsilon plays host to a civilisation of humans & xenos devoted to the god of excess. Home to all manner of sense-assaulting entertainments whose wonder is only matched by their cruelty, the endless excess of Astima Epsilon is kept fed with a steady supply of slaves of all kinds. It is the main homeworld of the Brotherhood of Excess warband. *'Antioch' - A mysterious Dark Mechanicum Forge World. This is the homeworld of the Proselytes of Monophysitism. *'Others' - There are many worlds within the Grave that are unknown to the Imperium. 'Warbands' The hard core of the forces of Chaos are the Warbands - organised self-contained armies consisting not only of starships & cultists but also Chaos Astartes. The Chaos Astartes are ferocious combatants but also serve to instill greater levels of leadership, organisation & discipline upon their force (usually), resulting in a much more effective army. For great undertakings like a Black Crusade, usually multiple warbands must be united under one banner. A few of the known Grave Warbands are: *'The Red Giants' - Khornate warband of chaos space marines. Heavily damaged if not outright destroyed during the Battle of the Dark Sister. *'The Ebon Host' - Nurglite warband of chaos space marines and one of the most powerful warbands in the Sector. Operates from the Hades-class Heavy Cruiser Melancholy. Currently trapped in the Grave after Operation Wild Hunt, on their homeworld of Corozia Secundus. *The Brotherhood of Excess '''- Slaaneshi warband based on '''Astima Epsilon. Their Carnage-class Cruiser Infinite Liberation was detected escaping the Grave in 347.M41 but escaped the Imperial patrol group before it could be contained. A general warning was broadcast across the sector but the Brotherhood of Excess has not been detected since. Known components: **'Solacius the Debased' - Chaos Astartes Lord and leader of the Brotherhood of Excess. Solacius the Debased is a incredibly skilled, swift combatant who personally leads the sacking of their victims to claim the choicest slaves and finest loot. **'Carnage-class Cruiser ''Infinite Liberation' - The flagship of the Brotherhood of Excess and thought to be their only capital ship. ''Infinite Liberation is usually seen in the company of at least a squadron of raiders. *The Sworn Sons - Warband of Chaos Undivided centres on the world of Avignon. The Sworn Sons have historically been the source of most of the warlords who managed to unite multiple warbands to assault Malta. Their flagship is the Relictor-class Battleship Piety's End, and she has duelled the Alexios Komnenos of Battlefleet Deus on many occasions, leaving fresh scars upon each other each time. The Sworn Sons are known to possess a lot of power within the Grave itself but rarely leave it, the last Sworn Son vessel detected trying to escape being a frigate in 323.M41 that was destroyed by the Stellaris. Known components: **'Tarfus the Thrice-Cursed' - Thought to be the most powerful of several Chaos Lords within the Sworn Sons, Tarfus is an ancient veteran of the Luna Wolves and turned to heresy with the Sons of Horus. He is a huge figure clad in warped terminator armour who wields an ancient plasma blaster & massive power maul, and commands the loyalty of a large amount of the Sworn Sons. **'Barogram the Bastard' - Another Chaos Lord of the Sworn Sons. Barogram the Bastard was the illegitimate child of a Chaos Astartes and a common cultist who clawed his way up the ranks of the cultist hordes and earned the favour of the gods. With the aid of mutated geneseed and dark science he was augmented into a Chaos Astartes himself and has continued his rise in power, now commanding a full company of Sworn Sons and many thousands of their cultist troops. **'Relictor-class Battleship ''Piety's End' - An ancient battleship dating back to the Horus Heresy, this is thought to be the most powerful ship in the grave and is the flagship of the Sworn Sons. **'Hades-class Heavy Cruiser Troya's Razor' - Once a proud vessel of Battlefleet Deus, ''Troya's Razor ''turned to heresy and fled into the grave during the long storm of M36. It has since been claimed by the Sworn Sons. **'Murder-class Cruiser Bloodrager' - Another vessel that once belonged to Battlefleet Deus - known then as the ''Fellhanded - the Bloodrager turned renegade many thousands of years ago and his a much hated vessel by the enemies of chaos. *The Gravelords - A large warband that is second only to the Sworn Sons in power. The Gravelords are thought to have been the Astartes that first fled to the Grave following the Horus Heresy, and the warpstorm's original masters before they were apparently usurped by the Sworn Sons. The Gravelords are based on an unknown world or worlds within the Grave, and are thought to have a tenuous relationship with the Sworn Sons that frequently spills into violence. Minor warbands may align themselves with one or the other - or neither - during their wars within the Grave. Typically only an invasion of Malta can unite the two warbands. Known components: **'Lord Pontius the Almighty, Bane of Troya' - Daemon Prince of the Gravelords. Assumed to have ascended to Princehood when he commanded the fleet that annihilated Troya of all life in M31. Only rarely seen since, Lord Pontius' uncommon appearences in realspace lead Ordo Malleus Inquisitors to believe he mostly concerns himself with matters within the warp itself. **'Godric Harakonan' - Chaos Astartes Lord, the conventional mortal leader of the Gravelords and former Chapter Master of the Word Bearers legion. A legendary and despised figure across the demi-segmentum, Lord Harakonan is no more physically imposing than any Astartes but he speaks with the fire & zeal of ten millennia of chaos worship, enthrailling millions of followers with his grandiose sermons. He is a cunning and quick-witted combatant, and many would-be usurpers who thought they could overpower the Chaos Lord quickly find his twin blades through their necks. **'Executor-class Grand Cruiser ''Sanctifying Light' - The flagship of the Gravelords, this ancient vessel pre-dates the Horus Heresy and has claimed countless loyalist vessels over its long life. It is only rarely seen outside the Grave, typically when accompanying an assault on Malta. **'Devastation-class Cruiser Apostate' - Another well-known vessel of the Gravelords. The ''Apostate has been sighted outside the Grave much more frequently. This cruiser has been known to travel far & wide in its expeditions into realspace, preying on anything it comes across be they human or xenos. *'Kaetak's Chosen' - A small & mysterious Tzeentchian warband led by the powerful Sorcerer Kaetak. Only the most cunning cultists are accepted as underlings by the Sorcerer and his handful of Rubric Marines. Known components: **'Kaetak' - An enigmatic and powerful Sorcerer from the Thousand Sons. **'Kaela' - A powerful witch who accompanies Kaetak everywhere. Whether she is his thrall or his muse is unknown. **'Fanatic-class Light Cruiser ''Cerebrum' - Base of the warband and Kaetak's home. *The '''Agonisers' - Khornate warband known for their aimless bloodlust, descending on victims and revelling in pointless slaughter with no greater objective. Their fleet of a Heretic-Class Light Cruiser and two Iconoclast Destroyers was last seen fleeing back into the Grave in 299.M41 following the bloodbath they perpetrated on Freya VIII. Originally the Heretic-class and five Iconoclasts, three of the Agonisers' fleet were destroyed by Freya VIII's defences whilst the others disgorged Khornate Berserkers onto the planet's surface. Several of the giant fishing vessels/platforms the population of the agri-world live upon were found ransacked; almost a hundred thousand men, women and children butchered, dismembered, impaled and worse. Many of the PDF troopers that discovered such scenes lost their minds. Known components: **'The Raving Butcher' - Chaos Lord and leader of the Agonisers, his name & origins are unknown and his only known utterances consist of war cries to the blood god. What is known is that the Chaos Astartes Berserker known as The Raving Butcher cares not from where the blood flows. He leads from the front - ripping foes apart in a frenzy of gore with twin spiked flails - and wears ancient blood-splattered power armour that carries the favour of Khorne. **'Heretic-class Light Cruiser ''Oblitiate' - The flagship of the Agonisers' small fleet. The ''Oblitiate ''is ferociously swift, suiting the Agonisers preference for entering close combat - including boarding actions - as quickly as possible. *The '''Pact of Corozia' - A joint Nurglish-Slaaneshi warband that revels in spreading disease through excessive and depraved means. They are based on the world of Corozia Secundus and tried to attack Nova Premium in 344.M41 in their Slaughter-class Cruiser Pestilent Perfection, but were driven back into the Grave by the mining world's powerful system defence fleet. *The Dark Crusaders - A piratical, nomadic warband that roams throughout the demi-segmentum, but has been spotted in and around The Grave before. The entire warband travels in a single ship, the Vagus Tenebrae, typically accompanied by a few raiders from Chaos Reaver hangers-on. The Dark Crusaders have historically attacked isolated worlds & major colonies, along with larger transport convoys that think themselves immune to piracy (and indeed would be immune to standard raiders). However they have also been seen in the large Grave Fleets that are only rarely gathered for a large actions. Known components: **'Retaliator-class Grand Cruiser ''Vagus Tenebrae' - This massive vessel is the Dark Crusader's sole ship, an ancient Grand Cruiser that has seen dozens of worlds burn beneath its hull. The vessel itself is more akin to a small city filled with a savage cultist civilisation the Astartes rule over like Nobility, that has large areas devoted to luxurious living accommodations for the Chaos Astartes and heaving slave holds to fuel their society. Though unwieldy compared to raiders, the ''Vagus Tenebrae has a fearsome armament and is one of the more powerful vessels in Chaos hands in the region. 'Other Factions' *'The Proselytes of Monophysitism' - Dark Mechanicum faction. They mostly stay within their base of Antioch, attaching explorator parties to other warbands. *'House Invermourne' - A renegade Knight Household that originated on Fyphe. When House Macrae emerged as the domminant Household of the Knight World House Invermourne revelled, turning to Chaos in their anger. Outnumbered, they ultimately fled to The Grave and have had an intense, hate-fuelled rivalry with House Macrae ever since. Of unknown strength but assumed to number at least in the dozens of Questoris or larger knights and twice that number of Armigers. Knights of House Invermourne can been seen fighting in Chaos war parties of all sizes, attaching themselves to warbands, reavers, and raiders as they please. **'High King Raegon Invermourne' - Current head of the Household, Raegon pilots a twisted Dominus-pattern Chaos Knight empowered by daemonic energy. *'Chaos Reavers' - A catch-all term for aggressive shipborne chaos worshippers that do not have a notable amount of Chaos Astartes and Chaos Marine leadership within their structure. Chaos Reavers are mostly piratical in nature - preying upon Imperial shipping or isolated warships - and are far more feared, hated and vicious than regular non-chaos pirates. Some Chaos Reavers originate from the Grave itself, while others were once normal pirates who fell to Chaos. Not all Chaos Reavers in Sector Deus operate from the Grave, but the majority do. A list of known Chaos Reavers operating in Sector Deus can be seen under Chartist Captains. *'The Graveborn' - The native population of the Grave, numbering in the countless billions and varying extremely across different daemon worlds. Damned souls from birth, they are almost all strong devotees of the chaos gods born & raised. A precious few do try to reject their heretical upbringing but they almost invariably end up as slaves or sacrifices themselves. The Graveborn make up the majority of the cultist armies that follow Warbands, and a large proportion of most Chaos Reaver crews. *'The Enslaved' - Those poor souls who were born in the materium but have been captured or otherwise taken into the Grave to serve as slaves for the native inhabitants. The fate of a slave upon arrival can vary dramatically, ranging from an almost tolerable life as a court servant to simply becoming another sacrifice to the dark gods. The Enslaved are drawn from almost every subset of the galaxy imaginable. Imperials, non-Imperial humans, Xo'nad, orks, Tau, and even Eldar (who are the most prized of slaves) can be found enslaved within the Grave. *'Fallen Imperials' - A Graveborn is invariably tainted and must be killed, but they can be pitied - for to be damned by misfortune of birth is a sad fate. The Enslaved may be rescued and even permitted to live if taint has not taken hold, and can be respected as martyrs if they must be put down. But for those who have willingly turned their back on the Imperium there can be no pity, no respect, and no mercy, for nothing is worse than a heretic. The majority of these most damned of souls are pirates that fell to chaos in their pursuit of wanton murder and theft, becoming Chaos Reavers. Some Rogue Traders have also damned themselves for eternity in the hope that they could find greatness in the grave, and the ultimate goal of most chaos cults that spring up on the worlds of Sector Deus is to find a way into the grave. Though many of these independent humans seek to join one of the Astartes-led warbands many others band together among themselves, becoming chaos pirates. *'Fallen Xenos' - Though it is not known how or why they found themselved as devotees of chaos, a number of xenos have been reported among chaos raiding forces originating from the grave. Among these include orks (mutated by warp energies), Xo'nad, Canids and even unidentified races thought to originate from beyond the galactic rim. Category:Subsector Tyranus